(The following story appeared on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Website. By Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric and Wick Moorman, chairman and CEO of Norfolk Southern.)
Recent reports indicate that manufacturing in the United States is ready to rebound. Factory or ...

On April 22, Seattle's
Sound Transit Board announced its preference for an East Link light rail route
that runs on 112th Avenue between Downtown and Bellevue Way. While the Bellevue
City Council prefers an alternate route (B7, next to I-405), the 112th Avenue
alignment could be Sound Transit's final choice.

John E. Barrett, P.E., S.E., vice chairman of
Bowman, Barrett & Associates (BB&A), was honored with the John Parmer
Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI). The award
is presented each year to a structural engineer in recognition of outstanding
contributions in the field of structural engineering whose distinguished career
is acknowledged by peers to be an example of excellence.

The Canadian federal
government will contribute C$600 million to transform Ottawa's transit system,
making a switch from buses to light rail with a downtown tunnel through the
city's core and 12.5 kilometers (7.75 miles) of light rail between Blair Road
and Tunney's Pasture, local media report. Transport Minister John Baird made
the long-awaited announcement June 8, matching the funding already promised by
the Ontario government.

The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority said that MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder appointed Susan
G. Metzger as senior policy advisor, effective immediately. Dr. Metzger, who is
a member of the MTA Board, will advise the MTA on cost-effective ways to
improve mobility within and to Orange and Rockland Counties.

Massachusetts and Worcester, Mass.,
officials have reached a tentative agreement with CSX Corp. on a $23-million
traffic improvement and neighborhood mitigation package that would accompany
expansion of the company's freight yards between Shrewsbury and Franklin
streets, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

The Maryland Transit
Administration (MTA) is seeking community partners to design future Red Line
stations. Station Area Advisory Committees will begin meeting this fall to
provide input on key aspects of Red Line station design and station area
planning. Interested community stakeholders such as station area residents,
businesses, churches, organizations and institutions may nominate themselves to
serve on a committee.

The key to getting federal
support for a railroad project is a solid study that supports it, a
Massachusetts planner told local business leaders, the Bristol, Conn., Press
reports. Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning
Commission in Springfield, told an audience at the Central Connecticut Chambers
of Commerce the story behind the successful Knowledge Corridor rail line in his
region. -->
...

(The following editorial
appeared on the Knoxville News Sentinel Website.) Railroads hold a unique
position in the American psyche, blending the symbolism of uniting the country
and the romanticism of a bygone era.

(The following editorial,
"Keeping the train on track," appeared in the Clackamas, Ore., Review.)
We support the Oregon Department of Transportation's efforts to increase the
speed and efficiency of passenger rail along the I-5 corridor, a move that
could boost ridership and offset traffic congestion as the population grows in
the future.